LESSON 1

Dynamic Earth

Moving Continents
Key Concept
• What evidence supports
What do you think? Read the two statements below and decide the continental drift
whether you agree or disagree with them. Place an A in the Before hypothesis?
column if you agree with the statement or a D if you disagree. After
you’ve read this lesson, reread the statements to see if you have
changed your mind.
Before Statement After
India has always been north of the equator.

All the continents once formed one

supercontinent.

Mark the Text

Why do some continents have Identify the Main Ideas

Highlight two or three
matching shapes? phrases in each paragraph
Nearly 100 years ago, a scientist named Alfred Wegener (VAY that summarize the
guh nuhr) began an investigation. He wanted to know if Earth’s information presented.
continents had always been in the same place, or if they had After you have finished the
lesson, review the
moved. Wegener proposed that all the continents were once part highlighted text.
of a supercontinent called Pangaea (pan JEE uh). Over time,
Scientific Vocabulary
Pangaea broke apart, and the continents slowly drifted to their
drift
present locations. Wegener proposed the hypothesis of
(verb) to slowly and
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continental drift. The continental drift hypothesis suggested that gradually move
continents are in constant motion on the surface of Earth.
Wegener looked at the coastlines of continents that are now Scientific Vocabulary
separated by oceans. He saw similarities in the shapes of the continental shelf
continents, including the continental shelves. For instance, (noun) areas of continent
Africa and South America seemed to fit together like the pieces that are under shallow
water
of a puzzle.
Wegener knew that he needed evidence to support his Word Origin
hypothesis of continental drift. The most obvious evidence was Pangaea
the puzzle-like nature of the continents. But other scientists from Greek pan-, means
were doubtful of his hypothesis. Wegener needed more “all”; and Greek gaia,
evidence. means “earth”

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 How do rocks provide evidence that
continents move?
Some of the evidence used by Wegener to support his idea of
continental drift came from rock formations on the continents
in the Southern Hemisphere.
Evidence from Rock Formations Many rock formations and
mountain ranges on Australia, South America, Africa, India and
Antarctica all seemed to have formed in the same way at the
same time. Today geologists know that there were large-scale
volcanic eruptions on the western coast of Africa and on the
eastern coast of South America hundreds of millions of years
ago. Geologists have studied rocks from these eruptions. They
Scientific Vocabulary determined that the volcanic rocks from both continents were
chemistry identical in chemistry and age.
(noun) the structure of
More evidence came from the rocks that make up two
substances and the way
that they combine or mountain chains in Europe and North America. The Caledonian
change with each other mountain range is in northern Europe, and the Appalachian
Mountains are in eastern North America.
Academic Vocabulary Rocks in these two mountain chains are similar in age and
compose structure. Both are also composed of the same rock types. If you
(verb) to form or make up could place North America and Europe next to each other, these
mountain chains would meet. They would form one long,
continuous mountain belt.
Evidence from Glacial Features Another clue used by
Wegener to support continental drift came from glaciers. When
Wegener pieced Pangaea together, he proposed that South
Scientific Vocabulary America, Africa, India, and Australia were located closer to the
ice sheet South Pole 290 million years ago. He suggested that a large ice
(noun) a glacier that sheet covered much of these continents. When the ice sheet
spreads out over land in melted as Pangaea spread apart, it left rock and sediment

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all directions
behind. Wegener studied the similarities of these sediments.
Wegener also studied glacial grooves. Glacial grooves are
deep scratches in rocks made as ice sheets move across the land.
Wegener found glacial grooves on many different continents. By
studying these grooves, he was able to determine the direction
that the ice sheet moved across the joined continents.
Evidence from Coal Deposits Coal beds are in Antarctica, a
polar climate today. Yet coal formed from fossilized plants that
lived long ago in warm, wet climates. This meant that Antarctica
must have been warmer and wetter when these plants were
alive. Wegener used this evidence to conclude that Antarctica
must have been much closer to the equator sometime in the
geologic past.

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 How do fossils provide evidence that
continents move?
There are many animals and plants that live only on one
continent. For example, lions live in Africa but not in South Academic Vocabulary
America. Because oceans separate the continents, animals separate
cannot travel from one continent to another by natural means. (verb) to stop being
However, fossils of similar organisms have been discovered on together
several continents that are now separated by oceans.
Evidence from Fossils Fossils of a plant called Glossopteris
(glahs AHP tur us) have been discovered in rocks from South
America, Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia. Today these
continents are far apart and separated by oceans. The plant’s
seeds, which were large and heavy, could not have traveled
across the oceans.
The figure below shows how some of the continents were
joined as part of Pangaea 250 million years ago. The lighter area Scientific Vocabulary
on the map shows where Glossopteris fossils have been found. fossil
Notice that the plant once grew in parts of five continents— (noun) the naturally
South America, Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia. Because preserved remains,
imprints, or traces of
these plants grew in a swampy environment, this region,
organisms that lived
including Antarctica, was different from how it is today. Most of long ago
Antarctica is covered in ice sheets. No swampy environments
are found there now.
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Africa
South
America

India

Antarctica

Australia

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 Academic Vocabulary
skeptical
What was missing?
Wegener supported his continental drift hypothesis until his
(adjective) to be doubtful
about something death in 1930. Wegener’s ideas were not widely accepted until
nearly 40 years later. Why were scientists skeptical of Wegener’s
hypothesis?
Continental drift is a slow process. Wegener could not
Scientific Vocabulary measure how fast the continents moved. Wegener also could not
mantle explain what forces caused the continents to move. The mantle
(noun) the middle layer under the continents and seafloor was made of solid rock. How
of Earth, situated between could continents push their way through solid rock? Wegener
the crust above and the needed more scientific evidence to prove his hypothesis.
core below
The evidence for drifting continents was hidden on the
seafloor. During Wegener’s lifetime, scientists did not have the
tools to determine what happens beneath the oceans. Wegener
also could not have known what the seafloor looked like. The
evidence needed to prove continental drift was not discovered
until long after Wegener’s death.

Reread the statements at the beginning of the lesson. Fill in

the After column with an A if you agree with the statement or a
D if you disagree. Did you change your mind?

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